Good morning, everyone! Welcome back. It’s always nice to have you.

For some time now we’ve been talking about the contents of the Imperial Histories, and how the book is useful both to players because it’s rife (rife, I say!) with new mechanics, and to Game Masters because of the value it has as a toolkit to construct new and different campaigns. We’ve certainly gone over a lot of new mechanics so far, and I hope you’re as interested in seeing the rest of it as I am about showing it to you. For now, though, I think we need to reiterate the value of the book as a GM tool. If you want to tell your own tale, if you want to forge your own version of Rokugan, then I hope you’ve seen so far that we were thinking of you specifically when we worked on this book.

One of the eras in the book that we included but have not touched on very much so far is the Dawn of the Empire. The first days of Rokugan are an era of myth and legends, something that I personally have always looked at as a sort of parallel to the days of Perseus and Theseus in Greek mythology. It’s s time of epic heroes and literal legends made flesh, when gods walk the earth and the dynasties that permeate the entire history of the Empire are first created. Imagine the fun you can have in a sandbox like that! And to give you an example of just how much leeway we’re encouraging you to take in this direction, just have a look at this delectable sidebar:

Alternate Paths: Another Emperor
A GM who wishes to explore a truly different version of Rokugan can examine the possibilities behind one of the other Kami winning the great tournament. In the original ‘canon’ version of Rokugan, Hantei was destined to win (which is why Togashi did not participate in the contest). But in your version of Rokugan, perhaps another of the Kami was destined to win, or perhaps the arrival of the Kami in the mortal realm freed them from the control of fate. Regardless, an Empire ruled by one of the other Kami would be quite different from the normal vision of Rokugan and, of course, the GM would have to devise a new Great Clan to be led by Hantei.

• Emperor Hida: The Kami of the Crab was a man who admired strength above all things. His Empire would have been ferociously militant and extremely pragmatic, with little room for either the subtleties of politics or the moral complexities of Bushido. On the other hand, it would probably have done considerably better during the First War against Fu Leng, and Hida would have dedicated much of the Empire’s strength to defeating the forces of the Shadowlands. GMs who wish to explore a straightforward “heroic fantasy” version of Rokugan should consider the possibilities of a Hida Dynasty.
• Empress Shinjo: Shinjo was a woman of boundless curiosity and deep compassion. An Empire ruled by her would have been far less hostile to foreigners and would probably have softened the strict rules of the caste system. GMs wishing to explore a “kinder and gentler” Rokugan might wish to examine the possibilities of a Shinjo Dynasty.
• Emperor Bayushi: The founder of the Scorpion was a man of cunning and deception who felt little respect for the idealistic morality of most of his siblings. His Empire would have been strong but also dangerous, a place where politics would be a blood sport and deceit a way of life. GMs who wish to make Rokugan more closely resemble the deadly and treacherous world of Sengoku-era Japan may wish to try to idea of a Bayushi Dynasty.
• Emperor Shiba: Although he was a capable warrior, Shiba is best remembered as the scholar who recorded the Tao of Shinsei and the selfless leader who bowed to the Isawa. An Empire ruled by Shiba would be a place of peace, erudition, and magical power, but would have little room for warriors and battle. On the other hand, the power of maho would probably find more adherents in such a variant Rokugan. GMs who wish to design their campaigns around magical themes or intense character development while avoiding combat and war may find Emperor Shiba suitable to their needs.
• Empress Doji: Considering the heavy influence she exerted on Rokugani culture in the canon history, it can only be imagined how civilized, elegant, and artistically splendid Doji would have made Rokugan had she sat upon the Emerald Throne. On the other hand, she would likely have seen little reason for a large Imperial army, and the followers of Akodo would have been unhappy under her reign. A GM who wants to focus a campaign on themes of art, romance, and court can examine the world built by a Doji Dynasty.
• Emperor Akodo: Stories of the final duel between Akodo and Hantei often speak of Akodo’s words: “I shall build an Empire as strong and merciless as the stars in the sky. It will shine as our Mother herself, and be as cold as ice.” Akodo’s Empire would have been a place of strict ascetic warrior training and unrelenting warfare, both against those within Rokugan who earned the Emperor’s displeasure and (more often) those exterior cultures who had not yet bowed to the dictates of the Son of Heaven. On the other hand, compassion and art would likely find little home in the world of the Akodo Dynasty. A GM who wishes to run a campaign focused heavily on war, especially war against outside civilizations, might wish to explore this alternative.
• Emperor Togashi: If Togashi had been destined to defeat Hantei, he would have built an Empire far different from anything imagined by his siblings – a place of mystery and enigma, where religious contemplation and individual enlightenment were the highest goods. A GM who wishes to make Rokugan closer to the sort of mystic martial arts setting depicted in many Asian films might find a Togashi Dynasty suitable to the task.

Well you can’t get much more divergent than that, if you ask me! Changing who won at the Day of Thunder? Everyone’s done that! Changing the identity of the Empire’s first ruling Dynasty? Now that’ll put some spring in your step. And if, for example, Hida ascends to the position of Emperor, what sort of fate does Hantei pursue? What becomes of the samurai who follow him? Will they take the Crab’s place, or something radically different?

That’s sort of up to you, now isn’t it?

The Book of Air

Last week I believe I complained about how much I dislike Kiho, or at least dislike writing Kiho. It’s clearly a case of eating too much of your favorite food, since I kept all the Kiho in this book to myself. That is not a mistake I will make again, let me assure you. Now, the shugenja Alternate Paths, on the other hand… I don’t think I’ll ever eat too many of those! They’re so much fun to write it’s ridiculous, and they are such perfect tools to capture the flavor and themes of the Great Clans that I never get enough of them. I have to keep myself in check or I think I’d have put two dozen in here, rather than the handful that we decided to let you have a go at.

The Path I’d like to share with you today is one of my favorites from a previous edition, but one that really got a lot of heat for balance reasons, and rightfully so; frankly, it just had some issues. I looked at it quite a bit to see how it could be fixed in the new edition, and ultimately (as with so many other aspects), I decided to just throw it out and come up with a new effect. I’m pretty happy with the kernel of this one, but I feel pretty strongly that it has a long way to go yet, despite that the playtesting window is almost closed now. The playtesters agreed, and there are several important issues to look at. But first, here’s what we have at the moment:

Lion Alternate Path: Kitsu Spirit Legion
Technique Rank: 4
Replaces: Kitsu Shugenja 4
Technique: The Legions of Yomi – The true sons of the Kitsu are able to open the veil to the Spirit Realms and call forth the spirits themselves to aid in the defense of their family’s honor. As a Complex Action, you may conduct a ritual that opens a portal and summons forth a spirit to fight in your place. This is a Complex Action that requires you to expend all spell slots associated with one element (your choice) and spend a Void Point. The spirit appears as an armored warrior with all Rings at 2 except for the Ring whose slots you sacrificed; that Ring begins at 3. The spirit is considered to have Kenjutsu 3 and Defense 2. You must have all slots for the Ring being sacrificed for this ritual to take effect; if you have already cast spells of that element and have not recovered the slots, that element may not be used for this ritual.

I don’t know why, but I’m totally in love with the idea that a shugenja, who serves a clan that specializes in killing you with a sword, has a technique that allows him to summon ghosts to fight in his place… and to kill you with a sword. Parity! But, as the PTs have pointed out, there are issues. At this rank, is the effect powerful enough to warrant the cost? Probably not. I’m looking at a means of reducing the cost without creating a situation wherein the shugenja can have all these drones fighting for him and STILL cast lots of high level spells. That’s just too much! Will the next rank, which includes Rank 6 Water spells, completely negate the benefit of this Technique? What kind of armor should the ghosts have? Is this putting too much math on the GM’s plate? Lots of questions, and as yet we have not been able to devote time to sitting down and sorting out the answers.

But hey, maybe that’s where you come in, right? What are your thoughts on the design space of this particular gem? Sound off and let us know! Help us make it perfect for you and all those fans just like you!

See you guys in two weeks!